Adam Thielen took a pay cut to sign with the Panthers

Former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen will make significantly less money from his new contract with the Carolina Panthers.

On Sunday, we found out that former longtime Minnesota Vikings wide receiver had agreed to a multi-year contract with the Carolina Panthers.

Well, now, we know the details of the contract that Thielen signed, and it appears that he will be making less money with the Panthers than what he was scheduled to make with the Vikings in 2023.

Contract with Carolina Panthers indicates Adam Thielen was unhappy with his role for the Minnesota Vikings

Soon after the Vikings’ 2022 season came to an end, Thielen made a number of appearances in the national media. During each appearance, he shared how he wanted to remain with Minnesota for his entire NFL career, but that he also wanted a chance to prove he could still play at a high level in 2023.

Thielen was scheduled to make more than $13.5 million with the Vikings in 2023 and more than $16.9 million in 2024 before his release this year. Now, the most he will make in a single season with the Panthers will be in 2023, when he’ll earn $10 million in cash.

The fact that Thielen will be 33 in August in addition to him not having a season with more than 1,000 receiving yards since 2018 were likely factors in how much money he was able to earn in free agency this year.

But it seems pretty clear that money wasn’t the driving force behind Thielen exiting Minnesota and landing with Carolina this offseason.